If someone claims that coffee companies like Blue Bottle are going to kill Starbucks, an "intellectually curious" person wouldn't just take that at face value. He or she would ask questions like "Why is Starbucks so broken?" and "When and where did this coffee trend start?" and "Who are the leading players today?" as Bartlett points out.

Asking questions and maintaining a strong sense of curiosity is also necessary to see a company or market trend for what it truly is. For example, Bartlett notes that competitors may bash their rivals and executives could try to inflate the achievements of their company's department. It's the VC's job to cut through any exaggerations and investigate which claims are valid.

Before becoming vice president at OpenView Venture Partners, Bartlett was the vice president at Battery Ventures, where his investments included Glassdoor and Wayfair among others.